He drilled a three-run homer in the fifth inning and topped that with a grand slam an inning later. Soto may not be a prospect in the strictest sense—he's 27 and made his major league debut three years ago—but he's having a solid year with 10 HR and 48 RBI. While getting back to the big leagues might be a long shot for Soto, the former third-round pick will continue to provide organizational depth as a power-hitting first baseman. Fri, Jul 8, 2016 10:55:00 AM

Soto, a former third-round pick of the Reds, batted just .246/.343/.307 with two home runs and 24 RBI in 53 games last season for the Triple-A affiliate of the White Sox. He's nothing more than organizational depth for Washington. Mon, Feb 15, 2016 02:29:00 PM

Depth Charts

Nationals catching prospect Raudy Read has been suspended 80 games without pay for testing positive for a performance-enhancing substance.

Read, 23, tested positive for Boldenone, a drug that is on the list of banned PEDs under Major League Baseball's Joint Drug Prevention and Treatment Program. The suspension will be effective at the beginning of the 2018 regular season. Read hit 17 homers with a .767 OPS for Double-A Harrisburg in 2017 and received a September callup to the Nationals after his minor league season was completed.

Nationals manager Dave Martinez said Friday that Daniel Murphy (knee) is "right on target" with his rehab.

The hope is that Murphy is ready to go on Opening Day following a debridement and microfracture surgery on his right knee last October, and so far he's on track. Of course, things could change as Murphy goes through drills and spring training games, so keep a close eye on how he looks in Grapefruit League action.

Nationals placed RHP Joe Ross on the 60-day disabled list with a right elbow injury.

Ross underwent Tommy John reconstructive elbow surgery last July and will miss the majority of the 2018 season. This move cleared out a 40-man roster spot for veteran reliever Joaquin Benoit, who was officially signed to a one-year, $1 million contract on Wednesday morning.

Koda Glover (shoulder) has yet to do anything throwing in Nationals camp.

Glover deal with shoulder (and back) issues last season and had a recent MRI that showed he still has some inflammation. "We’re going to give him some time," manager Dave Martinez said. Glover has the potential to be a shutdown reliever, but the injury issues are worrisome.